3 key themes to give a wet room wow factor

Revamping your bathroom? Give it a modern edge with three key looks chosen by Livingetc. Stylish but easy to achieve, each of these designs will create a space that will make pampering pure pleasure.

1. Go industrial

For fans of sleek minimalism, this Pipe shower is the ultimate fitting. Made for Italian firm Boffi (the brand of choice for top-end properties – estate agents always add a few extra noughts when they spot its kitchens and bathrooms), the shower was designed by Marcel Wanders, a man with more than a touch of rock ‘n’ roll about him.
Wanders was part of the influential Dutch collective Droog (think the Knotted chair) and his work extends into all areas of design, including the Mondrian South Beach hotel in Miami. But this fixture shows his pared-back side. The Pipe is sleek, masculine, industrial and expensive and comes with the optional touch of the playful red handle. The technical blurb to accompany it – penned by Wanders himself – describes the Pipe this way: ‘It is not a shower, it is a waterfall, it is a thick stream of cleansing water’. He’s not wrong.
Be prepared for an utter drenching. But surely that’s a tiny price to pay for having a classic piece of modern design in your bathroom.

2. Go ethnic

One of the joys of a Moroccan holiday (apart from the sunshine, the souk and the soothsayers) has to be the hotel bathrooms, with their slick, smooth and tactile walls. It’s all down to the ancient art of tadelakt. Although the finish looks a bit like modern concrete, this plastering technique has been around for 2,000 years, with the world’s first wet rooms found in the riads and hammams of Marrakech.
It’s no coincidence that tadelakt is popular in contemporary bathrooms due to its clean lines and naturally waterproof make-up. After multiple applications of lime plaster (it’s built up layer by layer), the surface is compressed and polished with a stone, followed by an all-over rub down with olive-oil soap. This creates the chemical reaction that hardens it to create a watertight finish.
To find a specialist tadelakt plasterer, try Decor Tadelakt, Mike Wye & Associates or Tadelakt London. If you’re doing it yourself, Mike Wye & Associates also sells tadelakt kits.

3. Go glam

Video Of The Week

Once you’ve decided on your fittings and fixtures, set some of your budget aside for the finishing touches. Even in a wet room, it’s possible to add details that will max the luxe factor and make it an ideal place to pamper yourself, whether it’s first thing in the morning or just before lights out.
Team marble cladding with brass accessories to really raise the style stakes. Cladding the floor, walls and basin in stone creates a smooth, seamless effect. And just to show how celebs sit pretty in their en suites, let your guests check out this Mario Testino pic of Kate Moss.
Now, who’s got the lippy?